Improved machine for flattening and punching umbrella-ribs



UNITED STATES JACOB FOX, OF MINEBSVILLE, ASSIGNOR TO CARR & CO., OF PHILADELPHIA,

PATENT OEEICE.

PENNSYLVANIA. t

IMPROVED MACHINE FOR FLATTENING AND PUNCHING UMBRELLA-RIBS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 57,251, dated August 14, 1866 5 antedated August 1, 1866.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J ACOB FOX, of Minersville, Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Mechanism for Flattening and Punching Umbrella-Ribs; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eX- act description of the saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention consists of certain mechanism, fully described hereinafter, for making in the metal ribs of umbrellas and parasols the iiat places and holes required' in order to connect the ribs to the handle and braces, the mechanism being such that the desired work can be accomplished more rapidly and accurately than heretofore.

In order to enable others to make and use my invention, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation. y

On reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a front view, partly in section, of my improved machine .for attening and punching umbrella-ribs; Fig. 2, a side elevation, looking in the direction of the arrow, Fig'. 1; Fig. 3, a transverse section on the line l 2, Fig. 1; and Figs. 4 and 5, views representing an umbrella-rib iiattcned and perforated by the machine.

A and A' are the side frames of the machine, which are connected bythe cross-pieces B and B'. To guides a a a in front of the the cross piece B are adapted the vertical slides D D' D, and in suitable bearings at the upper ends of the side frames turns a shaft, E, to which are secured cams b b b, each of the latter being directly above and bearing against the top of one of the slides.

Into a recess at the rear side of each slide D project-s the end of one arm of a lever, C, Fig. 3, which is hung to the cross-piece B, and to the other arm of the lever is connected the lower end of a rod, f, which slides in a guide, e, secured to the said cross-piece B, a spring, g, coiled round the rod tending to depress the outer end of the lever and to maintain the upper end of the slide in contact with its cam b. In front of the cross-piece B', below each slide D, is an anvil, F or F', and to an opening in each slide is adapted arod, d,

and a spiral spring, c, the latter tending to depress the former.

In the lower end of each slideD, at one side of the rod d, is an opening, in which is adjusted a flattening and punching or indenting die, c', the slide D' havin-g an indenting-die, and in each anvil F is secured a counter die, t', having a hole for the reception of the punch, the anvil F' having a die corresponding to that in the slide D'. It is essential that the faces of the iiattening-dies should be in the same plane and in line with the indenting-die, and that the punches should be parallel with each other.

In bearings secured to the side frames and to the cross-piece B' turns a shaft, G, to which are secured disks H HH', and in the. edges of the disks H H are notches u u, for a purpose described hereinafter.

To a bracket secured to the side frame, A', is hung an arm, l, which is maintained in contact with a cam,p, on the shaft E bya spring, o, and to the end of the arm is hung a pawl, J, the lower end of which is adapted to notches in the edge of a disk, L, on the end of the shaft G. A spring, s, bears against the arm J and maintains its lower end in contact with the disk L, and against the edge of the latter bears a spring-catch, m. On the end of the shaft E is a cog-wheel, M, into which gears a pinion, t, on a driving-shaft, N.

After the machine has been put in operation the attendant places in the notches u n, Fig. 1, of the disks H H one of the metal ribs x to be operated on, the rib being so adjusted that one end shall be in contact with the side of the disk H', which determines the position of the iiatplaces and holes, to be made in the rib. As the shaft E revolves the cam p depresses the arm I, and the pawl J, as it descends, turns the disk L and shaft G one-sixth of a revolution, thereby bringing the rib a' over the counter-dies. The slides D are now depressed by the cams b, the ends of the rods d being thereby brought against the rib x, and holding it in its position on the anvils while it is punched and iiattened by the dies i and i'.

The cam p is now turned so as to allow the arm I and its pawl J to rise to the position shown in Fig. 2, while the attendant places another rib w in those notches n n which are nearest the anvils. As the revolution of the shaft E is continued the pawl J again descends and turns the disk L and shaft G one-sixth offa revolution, as before, the new rib being thereby brought between the dies and punched and flattened, the rib previously operated on falling to the ground.

In making ribs of steel wire for umbrellas and parasols it is necessary to slightly flatten each rib near its opposite ends, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, to punch holes y y. through these flattened portions, and to indent the rib near the center, where a metal lug, a, (to which' the braces are jointed,) is secured by being compressed into the indentations. The ribs are jointed at their upper ends to a ring on the handle of the, umbrella, and the upper ends ofthe braces, which sustain the ribs When the umbrella is raised. are jointed at one end to the lugs fu and at the other to the tube which slides on the handle. It is important that the Hattened portions of the rib should be in the same plane With each other and in line with the central indentation, and that the holes should beA parallel with each other; otherwise neither the desired uniformity in the several ribs and braces of the umbrella can be in ain tained nor the joints operate freely.

It Will be apparent that these important ends are attained by the machine above described, ii' care be takenr to construct it properly.

If necessary, the number ot dies may be greater or less than three, and the slides D, the anvils, andthe disks H H may be adjustable laterally to suit ribs of differentlengths. A

1 claim as my invention and desire to se!A cure by Letters Patent- 1. rlhe slides D, with their' liattenin g, punching, and indenting dies arranged in line and parallel with each other, in combination with similarly arranged counter-dies, the Whole operating as set forth, forl the purpose specin lied? 2. The combination of theabove with the shaft G and notched disks H and H', the Whole being arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth. Y 

